Rice & Pickles
Weekends Only
Saturdays
11am - 3:00pm
Sundays
10am - 3:00pm
We serve bowls to go
and
We have both indoor and outdoor dining options available.
Call or Email to Reserve a Bowl and Schedule a Pick Up
or
Reserve a Table for our 3 course Dine-In Menu
(510)540-5185
Rice is Pickles is Vegan (Except for the optional egg)
Rice & Pickles can easily be made Gluten Free
Most other food allergies or preferences can be accommodated
What is Rice & Pickles?
First of all, The Cultured Pickle Shop is not a restaurant. We are a 28-year-old pickle shop run entirely by Alex Hozven & Kevin Farley, with the occasional help from their two sons, Keiran & Seamus. We are open 7 days a week as a pickle shop, and folks can purchase any of the many preserved vegetables and kombucha we sell in jars and bottles out of our retail case. Most of our time during the week is spent creating these products; it is the focus of our business. Every weekend, we hold a tasting event we call Rice & Pickles. We serve rice bowls. You can, and should, dine in with us, but we also offer bowls for takeout. There are three optional additions to the bowl. The base price for the takeout bowl is 22 dollars. Rice & Pickles was originally conceived exclusively as a dine-in event, and it is really the best way to experience our work. We started offering take-out during Covid lockdown, and we continue to. We serve takeout in compostable bowls, regular customers are given the option to have their bowls made in returnable stainless steel containers, and they are also encouraged to bring their own containers. OUR OUTSIDE SEATING IS RESERVED FOR DINE-IN GUESTS ONLY. If you dine in with us, Rice & Pickles is a three-course meal, starting with a small sipping bowl of dashi, followed by our rice bowl, and ending with a sweet bite. The three optional additions are the same for takeout and dine-in. Dine-in guests also have the option of two additional beverage pairings. The base price for the three-course dine-in menu is 30 dollars. You can scroll down for a look at last weekends menu.
There are several ways to experience Rice & Pickles for our Dine-in guests. We have both outdoor and indoor seating. Our outdoor seating consists of cafe tables on the sidewalk in front of our shop. Our indoor seating takes place inside the shop, in our production space, which is closed to the public during the week. On the weekend, we open up the space and invite guests in, so they may dine in the space where their pickles are made and with the people who make them. Inside, we have a large communal table, two production work tables pushed together, and guests sit on empty stainless steel fermenting tanks. We also set up our main production table as a bar or counter, and guests sit on stools across from Kevin while he builds their bowls. We and our regular guests would say that, first and foremost, the Rice & Pickles experience is about the food. The rice bowl is laboriously produced and carefully curated; it is an exquisitely delicious, stunningly beautiful exploration of the range of fermenting techniques we employ at the shop and a culmination of our 30 years of experience as artisans. Guests regularly come in on beautiful days, sit outside with family and friends, and enjoy a rice bowl unlike anything they will find elsewhere. Guests at our communal table have an opportunity to dine in an unconventional space that is, in fact, our production kitchen surrounded by crocks and jars and tanks of fermenting vegetables and kombucha. For guests that sit at the bar, We take them through a guided tour of their bowls as we build them, explaining how all the components were made. There is often a more interactive and educational experience for those sitting at the bar. The level of engagement at the bar and the communal table depends on how busy we are. During slower times, depending on our guests' curiosity and interest level, we can get into quite granular explanations and demonstrations. During times of extreme busyness, it is often a more general overview. Rice & Pickles will be a delicious, fun, and out-of-the-box dining experience regardless of where you sit and how busy we are. Our menu changes every week so every time you visit the shop it is a new experience. We do our very best to organize the timing of the event, however, during periods of peak busyness you should expect a bit of a wait even if you have a reservation. You should count on the entire experience taking 60 to 90 minutes once seated. Please leave your expectations at home and bring your curiosity. While making your reservation you may request seats for outdoor dining and the bar; we will do our best to accommodate you.
Dine-In Menu
Rice & Pickles
December 14 & 15
Dashi
Carrot Pumpkin Ginger Turmeric
Bowl
Radicchio, Chrysanthamum , Romaine - Lemon Kosho
Carrot - White Miso
Lemon Garlic Dill Sauerkraut
Scallion with Date & Chile Paste Brine
Baby Romaine Kimchi
Kohlrabi - Umezu
Celery - Lime Kosho
Kohlrabi Stems - Anise Hyssop Vinegar
Turnip, Fennel, and Bee Pollen with Brine Kanten
Spinach - Jalapeno Kasuzuke
Celeriac - Bettarazuke
Beet Kasuzuke
Turmeric Bettarazuke
Pumpkin - Lime Pickle & Green Coriander
Turnip Green & Sea Lettuce Gomashio
Sweet Bite
Walnut Amazake, Hoshigaki
Persimmon, Date-Green Coriander Syrup
30
Additions
Goma Dofu with 2021 Spring Onion
6
Avocado
Persimmon - Green Umeboshi
Preserved Lemon Chiles
4
Cured Egg
4
Beverages
Fennel-Apple-Mint Kombucha
5
Warm Amazake with Ginger
5
A 20% Gratuity will be added for Dine-in Service
For A Deeper dive into past weeks Bowls
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